Ill start started with my friend selling me a 75g tank and I stocked it with Caribe Piranhas got bored and they were shy. So I made the jump to a 150 fowlr and love it. Thinking about making a diy coffee table with a 55 or 75 for some freswater turtles and hopefully im done with additional setups for awhile.
What got you started in Saltwater??
- Thread starter kmart189
- Start date
yote
In Memoriam
We'd set up a little 10 gallon tank with a couple of guppies and some neon tetras we'd got from wal-mart.Then noticed a new fish store in town,went in to look and they had saltwater stuff.
4 years later,a friend gave me a 30long and I set it up salty and never looked back.
4 years later,a friend gave me a 30long and I set it up salty and never looked back.
SSalty
Team Liquid Force
I moved into an apartment and I wanted some kind of pet but the place that I live in doesn't allow pets. Later, I went to petsmart and looked at some freshwater fish and thought, how boring. I then found a fish store with saltwater and I never looked back. I first called my landlord and asked if he allowed aquariums, he said a small aquarium. So I considered a 55 gallon to be a small aquarium, lol.
However, I think it would have been cheaper to move out of this apartment and get a dog, lol.
However, I think it would have been cheaper to move out of this apartment and get a dog, lol.
lightcs4
Loving to learn
I started a 10 gal freshwater with the kids. They dies (tetra tank) and I decided I would do a salt water tank for Christmas (still 10 gal). I loved it, the kids thought it was just "ok". I now have one out of the four that really enjoys the 46 gal tank.
RyanG
Reef enthusiast
This forum actually got me started in saltwater! I was searching for a planted aquarium forum and stumbled upon this place, I had always liked the look of saltwater stuff and just went for it. I can honestly say that if I had never found Livingreefs that I probably would have never gone salty with anything and I would have a big planted tank right now.
d2mini
Reef enthusiast
Had fresh growing up but after getting married decided I'd like to try saltwater.
Looked at it for years but the start up price was too high.
Eventually had the cash and jumped right into a 150g with sump, metal halides, custom cabinet, etc.
Looked at it for years but the start up price was too high.
Eventually had the cash and jumped right into a 150g with sump, metal halides, custom cabinet, etc.
wontonflip
I failed Kobayashi Maru
I always had freshwater...my brother got into saltwater, and I always thought it was cool. He was naughty and had a tang in a 45g! So when he offered me the tank (after losing all his fish), of course I said yes....only to learn all his equipment was crap :)
Tank = free
equipment = $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
happy fish = priceless
Tank = free
equipment = $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
happy fish = priceless
cthegame
Reef enthusiast
My fascination with the ocean as a child and the creatures that live in it.
BigH55
I'm that guy
Sarted right away with SW and never looked back, Couldnt think of having a home without a tank. The lokks of friends and family when they come over and see your tank is priceless. Its truly amazing that we are able to create and maintain such a beautilful thing. Its a priceless treasure.
lightcs4
Loving to learn
Very cool thread, Kmart. I thought it was kinda odd that I would want a SW tank, or any tank for that matter. Nice to see what got people into the hobby.
Smitty
Reef pro
I was a biology major in college, and have always loved fish and animals...I've always had f/w tanks, and became bored with them and wanted a challange, so I bought myself a 29gal marineland eclipse for christmas, and became fascinated.
SunsetRoadzter
Coralline Algae
This thread has made my memory look bad. I first started out when I got a job at my local pet store in the mall I think it was 1994 yeah thats the year. When I first started out there I was just cleaning the small animal cages for about 3 months then the guy that was taking care of the fish department got fired for theft and thay asked me to help out and keep it going so I grabbed every book I could and read for about 2 months while I was learning on the job. I was only sixteen at the time so I was taking in everything I could. So I setup my first 55 gallon setup. It was a total community tank with plastic plants and so on it was awesome. So about 8 months later I decided to do some reading on saltwater tanks and decided to break down my 55 gallon FW tank and setup a salt tank with a undergravel filter with 4 penguin powerheads and two skilter filters water was moving in that tank and the fish loved it. That tank was way overstocked and they all did fine I don't know how but I was anal about meds. I was just into keeping fish I really didn't take an interest in invertebrates into later on. So I left my job at the mall and went on to work at very popular LFS in my area and thats when the reef bug bit me really hard. So in 1998 I met this lady and I was in love for the first time when it meet something not like a BS high school relationship this was love. So everything was going great then we got into a fight and me being 20 I was an idiot so we broke up for some time and in the meantime we found out we were having a baby so I tried to make it work but being young and trying to deal with a pregnant woman it was hard and it didn't work out so we went our different ways and all my money was gone I had a child to take care of so I had to quit my job at the LFS which sucked but I had to make more money. So I had to breakdown all my stuff and take a step back from the hobby for a while. So I finally got my life together and so on. So I finally meet the lady of my life and have stable place that I will living at for a long time and decided to get my reef back so I dove head first last October and got my discus tank running and in Nov. of 08 I found a deal on a corner tank and live rock and a reefing I went. So I'm back in the hobby hard core with two salt tanks and two fresh tanks. I hope you enjoyed the story I'm sure I missed some details but I tried to remember. If you want to see some pictures of my other tanks let me know.
acerhigh
just a reefer
My old boss had a couple 55 gallon tanks set up in the office at work...... he also had a couple at home, along with a 100 gallon tank.... (back in '87 that was huge for saltwater) I remember how mezmarized (sp?) I was by his tanks... so I bought a 40 corner tank..... set it up and never looked back.... things have changed soooo much in the hobby since I started.... but the one thing that hasn't is the enjoyment I get out of it... today I own the shop I worked at back then.... and still have my only tank in the office at work where I can play with it whenever I choose!
sen5241b
Reef enthusiast
I saw the cool looking Biocube 29 and said to myself "I used to have a 10G fresh water tank. How much more difficult can salt tanks be?"
Navarchus
Almost smarter than a pig
Great thread. I read everyone’s reasons, and I can relate to each story. I must have had some latent interest in fish, as I did manage to go to a fish store at one point. It was there I saw a Navarchus (Majestic Angel) and a Regal Angel. To this day I love those two fish, and will not forget that they are the reason I am in the hobby.
Also, well, I tend to be an “all or nothing” type of personality. Unless there is a significant challenge with justifiable reward, I will not be able to muster enough gumption to succeed. So, once I decided I wanted an aquarium, there could be no other choice but a reef. A reef tank offers some of the most beautiful animals, and is sufficiently challenging to keep me interested. (I am one of the few who can keep a beautiful reef tank, but who cannot keep a simple goldfish).
Also, well, I tend to be an “all or nothing” type of personality. Unless there is a significant challenge with justifiable reward, I will not be able to muster enough gumption to succeed. So, once I decided I wanted an aquarium, there could be no other choice but a reef. A reef tank offers some of the most beautiful animals, and is sufficiently challenging to keep me interested. (I am one of the few who can keep a beautiful reef tank, but who cannot keep a simple goldfish).
IraqVeteran
HOOAH
my civilian job I am a telephone man for the Sugarland Telephone Co (Windstream) and one day I hooked up new service for a LFS (which went out of business) years ago and I was amazed at all of the large tanks filled with coral and saltwater fish. The owner told me to come back and he would give me a discount for everything to start up a 55g FOWLR. I loved it ever since. After I came back from my first tour in Iraq everything was dead because the wife had no clue how to take care of it. I have since trained her because I have another tour coming up and I'll be damned if she's gonna let my LPS and SPS die this go-round.
wontonflip
I failed Kobayashi Maru
Good luck with that :) Tell her to get a username here, too so she can ask us for help.
Luckily, my husband is into the hobby, too. Not as much as me, but if I had to leave for a vacation or anything I know he'd take care of things. Especially once I get him corals!
yote
In Memoriam
I couldnt agree more.
imdaring
love my reef
for years I had a fresh water tank and I hated that it was just life less no color, kinda dull so I decided to switch to slat water fish only and now I have moved to fish and coral and I LOVE IT!!! I would never go back:sfish:
it's my addiction :trampolin
it's my addiction :trampolin
chaosfinity
Got Kalk?
Back in 2000 i went on vacation with my parents to Chicago and went to a museum there that had fish exhibits, they had freshwater, saltwater, and even a few very large reefs. We were up there for a week and I somehow convinced them to go see the same thing including the aquarium just down the road 5 out of 7 days we were there it was great. Came back and set up a freshwater tank and had it untill 2007. I had always loved the diversity of the reef tanks but never dared since we had a friend that lived in the area that spent huge sums of money to replace things in his tank on a regular basis. It seemed out of reach then i just got a few books sold all my freshwater fish and went straight to the reefs. Tanks been up now since october of 2007
